Shakin' Things Up

I've thought for some time that it might be a good idea to switch the kids' bedrooms. The room Caris is in is bigger than the boys' room, and the boys' room has white paneling on the walls that was darling for their nursery but cuter for a little girl's room than a big boys' room. This is rather an involved process, because the beds will have to be disassembled and reassembled, ceiling fans switched, walls repainted, curtain rods moved, etc. We began the first segment of the move today - moving the stuff. This is a way bigger feat than I'd imagined, and we're only about halfway through. Yikes! We'd moved a few of the boys' cabinets over, and I set Malachi's karate bag on top of his dresser (a picture of he & I was on his dresser in their old room). He tried convincing me that he'd rather have the picture on the dresser and the bag on a cabinet, and I tried to counter-convince him that no, the bag would be lots better on the dresser. All of a sudden he dropped his head and started to cry quietly. In that moment I realized what a drastic change this really is for him! We moved to this house when he was 7 months old, so his old bedroom is the only bedroom he's ever known. I put the bag aside and set the picture where it had been and comforted and held him, knowing how really hard it is to make big changes. I asked him just before Quiet Time, would he rather have Quiet Time in his old room (in his own bed) or in his new room, and surprisingly, he said he'd like to have it in his new room, with some blankets and his pillow on the floor. He'll come around, and their new room is gonna be so cool he won't be able to help but to love it, but I need to be patient in the meantime!